Nine pairs of police sniffer dogs dressed in shawls, hats and socks were placed on a decorated platform like those used in traditional Buddhist weddings in the ceremony Monday in the central town of Kandy.

Their marriages were registered by an official in the presence of a crowd of veterinary surgeons, medical doctors, top police officers and the public.

Local television showed the dog couples later being driven away in a decorated police jeep for their “honeymoons.”

The ceremony received wide publicity, and strong criticism from cultural officials.

Culture and Arts Minister T.B. Ekananayake said it undermined traditional wedding rituals and should be strongly condemned. He called for an investigation.

Police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena apologized for any damage to the country’s cultural heritage, saying the goal was to breed sniffer dogs domestically.